What woman doesn't love seeing a big, strong man
with a child in his company? Some women experience a rush of satisfying
emotions—from warmth and compassion to yearning and desire.
What about you?
Meet a big, strong man capable of shelving his rough
and tumble persona to care for the little one of his love interest-to-be.
Mike Masterson is a tall, dark and ruggedly handsome
cowboy trucker who owns an independent trucking company. He possesses all the
tools necessary to come to Veronica's aid in Cutie and the Cowboy Trucker.
Enjoy his compassionate and touching interaction with little Sam.
Cutie and the Cowboy Trucker
...Veronica turned her attention to the world outside. The day
remained bright even though the hour was late. “Don’t you think we need to get
going? I know you’ve blown your schedule already because of us.”
“Don’t worry about that.” He rushed to alleviate her concern.
“I’m going home.”
“Home,” she murmured under her breath. Her eyes strayed to Sam,
who by this time had cleaned the ketchup from his plate with his pointer
finger. “That’s enough, Sammy. Come on. We need to clean you up.”
“I’ll take him,” Mike volunteered. When she hesitated, he added,
“You can see us going and coming.”
He noticed how she searched out her surroundings. Mike concluded
Veronica realized she could police their activities from her current position
when she moved to let Sam out.
“Hurry back.”
Mike knew without a doubt that order was for him. “We will.” He
hustled Sam through the maze of tables with a protective hand on his shoulder.
The sight magnified Veronica’s loss as she watched them until
they entered the bathroom. Her son would grow up minus the most important
influence in a boy’s life—that of a father’s supervision—unlike Troy, who was
practically grown when her husband died.
* * * *
Veronica revisited treasured memories of when her family was
intact. Ramon was involved in every aspect of Troy’s life. He was eighteen when
that dreadful diagnosis of lung cancer plunged his father’s health into a
spiraling downslide. Ramon fought hard at living his life to the fullest, although
immense discomfort racked his body.
Veronica pried herself out of the past at the prattle making its
way over to her. Mike dwarfed Sam’s little animated body as he steered him
toward her with a hand on top of his head. Her mind tunneled back in time, once
more. Sam had been the best medicine for Ramon. Veronica could still see the
amazement on Ramon’s face when she told him she was pregnant. He held on to
life, until Sam was just about two, before quietly slipping away.
* * * *
The wrenching pain visible in Veronica’s eyes affected Mike. He
had seen her morose look clearly from across the room. He wanted to know its
cause, but realized her sharing wasn’t an option. Mike marched Sam back where
he belonged and stood guard over the two.
“I peed on the wall.”
“You what?” Veronica’s voice charged the air.
“I urinated”—he corrected himself—“on the wall.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“I think you’re a bad influence on my son!”
“Veronica.” Mike spoke in a calm, slow manner. “You’re his
mother. You can instruct him. But, this was something you couldn’t lead by
example.” The instant she understood was obvious to him. “Sam used the urinal.”
Her ire diminished.
“Look. If we leave now, we’ll probably make it before the shops
close,” he said. “We’re a couple hours out.”
Veronica slid out with the tickets and her hand in her purse.
“My treat,” Mike announced while reaching for the receipts.
“You’ve done more than enough.” She rejected his offer to pay.
“My treat.”
“Thank you, Veronica.”
“No, Mike, thank you.” She walked away to approach the register.
They filed to the front, paid, and left the restaurant for the
hike to the truck. Mike looked down at Veronica who stared at her
out-of-commission RV chained to his flatbed. He read the displeasure on her
face. “You’ll be on the road in no time, Veronica.”
“That can’t be soon enough, Mike.” She kept step with him. “The
more miles I put between me and the Louisiana state line, the better.”
She looked down at Sam, who latched on to her hand, skipping
along to keep up. Soon, he had Mike’s hand, too. “Watch this, Mama!” He used
the bond to race up a step and swing between them.
The unexpected act jolted Veronica, nearly pulling her down if
it hadn’t been for Mike’s strong grip on her upper arm. “Sammy!”
What was that, that flow of electricity when Mike touched her?
Her eyes fused to his gleaming gold wedding band.
Mike merely cut his stride as he came to the rescue. Veronica’s
alarm breezed right over Sam’s head as he continued his playful antics. “Leave
him alone.” He grinned over at her. “My bud’s having a good time.”
Also available at Bookstrand Mainstream Romance:
Mickie Sherwood
~~Sweet,
spicy romance – a heartbeat away~~
www.mickiesherwood.com
